Loved and Appreciated
by Heroine of the Valley
Summary: Has a bit of humor in it too. Anyway, Duo and Heero realize just how special Relena and Hilde are.


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Loved and Appreciated

I do not own Gundam Wing.

Heero and Duo had to infiltrate a building and get some important information while Wufei, Trowa, and Quatre got information at different buildings. However, they had some trouble getting in unnoticed. Duo was in the basement looking through some boxes and he heard a _click-click._

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" a rough voice demanded behind him.

__

Oh crap! Was the first thing that went through Duo's head. He turned around and started acting like he started working there, "yeah, I was just looking for the boxes of um…." His eyes went across the room, "the um, uh, Coca-Cola!"

"You don't work here," the man said, "I know everyone who works here and we don't even drink cola."

"Crap," Duo muttered underneath his breath.

"Hey," the man walked closer, "I know you! You're a gundam pilot!"

"God of Death at your service," Duo told him.

"Duo Maxwell," he recalled, "well, I guess the God of Death would like to work where he's most welcome." He started to pull the trigger as Duo ran to grab the gun. From above, a pair of legs wrapped around the man's neck. He dropped the gun.

"What the?" Duo mumbled, "Hilde?!" He looked up to see Hilde cracking the man's neck with her legs while hanging on the railings in the ceiling (I saw this in a movie once). She broke his neck and he fell to the floor. She flipped around and walked to Duo.

"Hi Duo," she greeted with a smile. "Been a while, huh?" she hasn't seen him since Libra.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, not exactly happy to see her. He was still angry at her for risking her life for him. And not just what happened on Libra. It was ever since he met her. She risked her life to get him in the lunar base. She put her life in danger by having him stay. And here she was, doing it all over again. A gundam pilot fights alone.

Hilde's smile vanished, "well….Relena and I… we…we wanted to help you…."

"Relena's here?"

"Yeah…We learned from Miss Noin where you were at and we, hey, where you going?"

"To the control room, Heero's waiting for me there."

Heero had just gotten the information he needed when he heard someone walk up behind him. 

"You, turn around," a voice instructed him.

Heero turned and reached for his gun, but the man shot it out of his hand. He groaned and shook his hand.

"I don't think so, pal." He recognized him, "hey, I know you…you're a gundam, pilot."

Heero would not deny it, "yes."

The man laughed, "well, kid, you should've stayed in school." He started to pull the trigger, right when Relena ran into the room.

"Oh no. No, don't shoot him!!" she shouted, but the man didn't pay any mind. Relena ran right in front of Heero, like the time she did when Duo fired at him.

"Relena," was all Heero could say when he felt her back into him.

"Don't shoo---" she got shot in the chest and started to sink farther into Heero. 

"Oh God," the man groaned, "I shot…"

Heero wrapped his arms around Relena as he felt her body give, "Relena?" her blouse was soaked with blood. He felt it in his hands.

"Relena!" Hilde cried, "oh no!" she ran to Heero and Relena. 

The man who shot at Relena looked at Duo and Hilde.

"Heero, do something!" Duo ordered, but when he saw the expression on Heero's face, he had to take action. He dove for Heero's fallen gun and shot him, just to injure him enough to fall to the ground and then he took his gun and stuck it between his back and pants. "Call the police," he ordered and then restrained the man in a chair. He punched him across the face to knock him out.

Hilde immediately called 911.

"Duo, come here," Heero said. "Quick."

Duo knelt beside him, "Oh, god no…."

"Take her, take her," he started moving the bleeding and unconscious Relena in his arms.

"But why?? We should get her to a hospital."

"I told the police to bring an ambulance," Hilde announced as she hung up the phone.

"Take her, _please_," Heero strained. He took his eyes off Relena and looked scared like a little kid.

Duo blinked, _did Heero just say please? _He thought.

"Heero, I don't understand," Duo said.

Without explaining, Heero got up and left.

"Heero?" Relena whispered.

Duo looked down at her, "you're going to be okay, Relena, just hold on."

Hilde walked to the window, "the police are here."

__

Why would Heero leave like that? Duo wondered. _How could he just leave? _He stood up and carried Relena to the ambulance.

Relena had to have immediate surgery. Her condition was not looking good. The other pilots waited outside. Dorothy walked out of the room, sniffing. Quatre immediately stood up and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "How is she?"

"Not good." She wiped a few tears away and looked at Duo, "Duo, she wants to talk to you."

"Me?" he mumbled, pointing to himself, "why me? What about Heero?"

"You were there with him," she said, "I guess she has something important to tell you."

Duo walked in and closed the door behind him. He sat in a chair and took Relena's hand. "Relena, I know this might sound a bit cheesy, but you really shouldn't make a habit of this." He remembered the time when he shot at Heero and she stepped in front of him. Duo could've shot her.

"I had," she started, "to do something."

"I just hope you don't die because of this." Duo said. "What did you want to tell me?"

"What were you and Heero doing there?" she asked.

"Shouldn't we be discussing this after you're better?"

"No, now."

"They stole something from you, Relena." Duo explained. "And we were just taking it back. All those plans you needed, well, those guys stole them."

"But they--"

"Yeah, I know, they acted all legit and stuff, but they were playing us for fools."

"Where's Heero?" she asked finally.

"I don't know. He told me to take you and then he just took off."

With a moan, Relena pushed herself up and pressed her cheek against Duo's chest. She grasped his shoulders, "Please, Duo, find him for me! You've got to find him!" she said, close to crying.

Duo could do nothing but wrap his arms around her, "Relena, I--"

"You've got to find him. Please, go find him. I don't want to die without seeing him."

"Don't talk about dying," Duo said, "you'll get out of here in a day or two. You'll see." He said, trying to be optimistic.

She squeezed his shoulders and sobbed, "Duo, you must find him." 

Duo stroke her hair, by the way she was crying, he couldn't say no, "I'll find him."

"Thank you, Duo!" she hugged his neck. "Please, please hurry."

Duo set her back down, "you concentrate on getting better. You look like, well," he was about to say 'you look like shit,' but decided not to. Instead he grinned and squeezed her hand, "let's just say I've seen you looking a lot better!" 

Relena tried to smile, "you wouldn't have killed, Heero, would you?"

Duo shook his head, "I wasn't really going to kill him, I was just trying to injure him. Come on Relena, the guy was going to shoot you! I was just trying to save you, you know."

"Thanks."

Duo stood up and kissed her forehead, "whatever you do, don't die, please, don't die."

The nurse walked in, "she needs her rest," she said and started to check her vital signs, which were not very good. Relena lost a lot of blood and she had an injured lung.

Duo nodded and walked outside. He went to the other pilots and crossed his arms, "we've got a job to do."

"What is it?" Wufei asked as he stood up.

"We need to find Heero."

"He doesn't know?" Quatre asked.

Duo shook his head.

"Okay, let's do it," Trowa stood up and they all headed for the door. 

Hilde walked by them, carrying a Styrofoam cup of coffee. She stopped and looked at Duo, but Duo walked past her with out even to tell her how Relena was doing or where he was going. He didn't even meet her eyes. She bit her lip and sat down next to Sally.

"What's the matter?" Sally asked. "Worried about Relena?"

"Yeah," she half-lied. "I'm, worried. Is she, gonna, well, is she?"

"Hey," Sally said, "she might not be as lucky as you here, but let's not think about that, okay?"

"Sally's right," Noin said, "she made it through surgery and she's awake. It's a good sign."

Hilde took a swig of the coffee and sat it down, "this coffee tastes like…"

"Yeah, I know, it tastes like shit," Catherine finished the sentence for her, nodding.

Hilde looked back at the black liquid, _it tastes how I feel…._

The other pilots thought they'd find Heero better if they'd all spit up. They each had a cell phone on them so they can inform the others when they found Heero. Trowa, Duo, Wufei and Quatre set out to find Heero with one thought in mind: _If I were Heero, where would I be?_

Wufei walked past a bar, _well, after Merian died, I did feel like drinking._ He thought, _maybe Heero's in there._ He walked inside and nearly choked on the thick blankets of cigarette smoke. It was hazy in there and the cigarette smoke made his eyes sting. The music was loud and people were playing pool.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked.

"I don't want a drink," he said, "I'm looking for someone." Wufei quickly described Heero.

"No, never saw someone like him in here today," the bartender said, "sorry, hey, wait a minute, how old are you?"

Wufei's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, "Uh, 17…"

"You can't be in here!"

Wufei started walking backwards, "thank you anyway!" he shut the door behind him and turned around to see a "21 and over Only" sign. "Ooops," he mumbled. "I really didn't want to drink after Meiran died, I wanted to go to Earth instead…"

Trowa went to a gun shop. "Hmm, Heero likes guns…." He walked inside and went to the counter.

"Hi, what can I get you?" the clerk asked.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine," he gave a description of Heero.

"No, I haven't, who is he?"

"he's well, he's a gundam pilot."

"He is!?" the clerk gasped, "I bet he can use some guns, hey, are you a gundam pilot too?"

"Maybe I should come back another time!" Trowa ran out of the front door.

"There goes another customer," the clerk moaned.

"If I can find Heero's gundam, maybe I'll find Heero," Quatre told himself, "but I don't see that anywhere either." He heard people laughing in a park. "I remember, Heero liked to read in the park when we came to the Cinq Kingdom!" he ran into the park and stopped at each hot dog vendor and newspaper stand to see if they saw someone like Heero. They each said now.

"Man," Quatre mumbled, kicking a pop can and then bending to pick it up and throw it in the trash can. "Heero's never around when you need him!" suddenly a Frisbee hit Quatre's head. He gave a funny chuckle (like on _Hook_) and fell down on his back.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" a little girl cried. "You okay, mister?" she and her friends ran to a half conscious Quatre.

"I think so…"

"Wanna play with us?"

"Actually, I'm looking for somebody," Quatre sat up.

The kids frowned, "Please??"

"Oh, okay."

Duo ran down the sidewalk, "okay, if I was Heero, where would I be?" He stopped and put his hands on his hips, "Outerspace? School?" he grinned, "at the beach checking out chicks." Then laughed and shook his head, "no, that's what I'd do!" then he turned to see Heero on the beach, "I was right! Hey, hey Heero!" he ran down the steps and onto the beach. "Hey, buddy, I've been looking all over for ya!"

Heero was standing a few feet away from the water, looking out into sea. He didn't even act like he knew Duo was there.

"Heero?" Duo muttered, "what's the matter, buddy?"

Heero sighed, "this is where we met…this….is where she found me."

"Relena?"

"Yeah."

Duo gulped.

"So tell me, did she go peacefully?" Heero asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

"What?" Duo mumbled.

Heero turned to look at Duo, "Relena, did she go peacefully? She didn't suffer, did she?" he was talking like she died already.

"Heero, Relena's still alive. She asked me to find you."

"I can't see her," he turned his eyes back to the see.

"What do you mean you can't see her?" Duo demanded.

"I just can't," Heero mumbled, "I can't stand to see her like that."

"Heero, is that why you told me to take her?"

Heero nodded, "I didn't want to be around when she died. I wouldn't be able to take it. I can't stand to fail another mission."

"Heero, someday you'll thank me," Duo said, putting one hand on his best friend's shoulder.

"For what?" he turned to him.

"For this!" Duo shouted as he punched Heero across the face.

"Duo, what the hell!?" Heero snarled, "You punched me in the face!"

"You needed a wake up call," Duo said, "come on, you jerk! Relena took a bullet for you! Remember the time when you were going to shoot her and I shot you? She stepped in front of you. She even ripped part of her dress to take of your 'owies.'" He actually quoted 'owies." "She risked her life for you man, she is lying in a hospital bed because she cares for you. She believes in you and she just wants to help."

Heero rubbed the side of his face.

"What's your problem?" Duo demanded, "don't you have any decency?" Duo suddenly paused and his mouth dropped open. He turned around to run his hand through his hair, "man, everything I'm saying to you I should be saying to myself."

"What?" Heero muttered.

"I'm such a jerk," Duo said, "Hilde risked her life for me, more than once. And I've been, so, ungrateful. She'd take a bullet for me too, I'm sure." He sighed and turned back to him, "look pal, there's two special girls waiting for us. They risked their lives for us and not because they had to but they wanted to. Relena's dying, man and so is Hilde, not physically, but I know I've hurt her. So let's go to them before we hurt them anymore, before, before we kill them?"

Heero took a deep breath, "you're right, you know, Duo, for once, you are right."

"Thanks…I think…." Then he called the others to inform that he'd found Heero.

They hurried to the hospital. Noin stood up and walked to Heero, "she's been asking for you."

"Can I, can I see her?" he asked.

"Well, of course you can!" she pushed him to the door and opened it. "Go on, talk to her. She was wondering where you were." Then closed it when Heero went in.

Relena turned her head and smiled, "Heero, you came."

Heero nodded.

She held out her hand, "please come here so I can see you more closely."

He hesitantly walked to her bedside and took her hand. "Are you okay?"

"I feel better."

"I'm, I'm glad. And thank you."

"I had to do something," she whispered to him. "How come you didn't come to the hospital with me?" she asked.

"I um, didn't want to see you die."

"I can't die now," she said, "there's too much at stake."

"You looked like you were going to die. I just couldn't handle it. Some soldier I am, I can't even handle having a bleeding person in my arms."

"Don't blame yourself, Heero," she told him. "I should be more careful with who I think my allies are. Duo told me those people were just after my plans. They were going to destroy them."

Heero reached his hand shakily to her head and he put a strand of hair from her face. "I'm just glad you're safe."

"I'm glad you're safe," she told him as she sat up to move into his arms. "Oh, Heero, just hold me," she said, "just hold me and love me."

"Mission accepted," he murmured as he held her close. "I won't ever let you go."

Hilde was sitting outside of the hospital on a bench, throwing bread to the birds. Duo came out and stopped before coming to her. He waited a few minutes, ran a hand through his brown hair and continued walking.

"Hi, Hilde," he said.

"Duo," she murmured.

He walked behind the bench and put a hand on her shoulder, "look, I, I owe you an apology."

Hilde turned her head and waited for him to speak.

"I'm sorry for acting like a jerk." He apologized, "I took you for granted. I called you a 'stupid fool', I didn't mean that either."

Hilde nodded, "I knew you'd be mad."

"I guess I just didn't want anything to happen to you. I'd never be able to forgive myself."

"I'm okay now."

"I know," he sighed and then went around and pulled her up, "call me a jerk."

"What?" she mumbled.

"Go on, I deserve it. Call me a jerk. And hit me."

"Duo, we're at a hospital…"

"Then if I get hurt I'll be okay," he said, "go on, Hilde, call me a jerk, hit me and _mean _it. You're not a stupid fool, I'm the stupid fool for being so, so, well, stupid….hit me, Hilde, go on and hit me."

"Duo, you're a jerk!" she cried, "a big, ungrateful, self-righteous, major jerk!" and punched Duo in the face, breaking his nose. 

Duo's hands wrapped around his nose, "auggghhhhh! Hilde, you broke my nose!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she covered her mouth with her hands and them moved them to his to pry them off his nose, "here, let me see."

"Huh-uh!"

"Well, do you feel better?" she put her hands on her hips.

"Maybe you should've just called me a jerk, I forgot how tough you were."

For that, Hilde punched him in the gut, playfully.

"Ow! Hey!"

"Do you remember now?" she asked with a laugh.

"Hilde, that wasn't very nice!"

"Duo, you're a jerk, but you're still the funniest guy I ever met," and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Thanks," he muttered, "could you um, help me into the Emergency Room?" Blood was dripping from his nose like a faucet, it went down his mouth, neck and got on the collar of his shirt.

"Okay, sure," she put her hand on his back and led him to the ER.

"So what do we got here?" the nurse asked.

"Broken nose," Duo mumbled, his hands still on his face. "and my stomach hurts."

"Did you get in a fight?"

"Something like that," he turned his eyes to Hilde and the nurse looked at her.

"He told me to do it!" Hilde said. "I didn't mean to break his nose, Duo's just a wimp!"

"Hilde, you can stop now…" Duo whined. 

"Oh, sorry, Duo." She lightly kissed his cheek.

"Well, let's have a look," the nurse tried to take Duo's hands off his face, "I have to look at it!"

"No way!" Duo cried.

"Duo, let her look at it!" she started pulling his hands off his face.

"Hey, don't break my wrist too!" he finally let his hands fall, showing his bloody nose.

Hilde started laughing, "Oh Duo…"

"It's not funny, Hilde," Duo said, wiping his nose, "hey, could I get a tissue?"

"It doesn't look so bad," the nurse said, "it will just be sore for a few days, and sensitive to smell." She put a white gauze on it and let him go.

Duo put his hands in his pockets, "I can't believe you broke my nose. Now I have to wear this stupid thing for a few days! It'll mess up my beautiful face!"

Hilde laughed, walked behind him and put her arms around his neck, an arm dangling across his chest, "Oh Duo, you never cease to amaze me. I'm so glad that we're talking again…"

Duo smiled, "yeah, me too….hey, could you spoon-feed my Jell-O to me?" he patted her arm, "pretty please?"

"Sure, come on…"

And Duo and Heero never took Hilde and Relena for granted again.

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The End


End file.
